Being stuck in the house during quarantine really increases the risk of compulsive shopping and, as a huge YouTube fan, I’ve noticed that I spend more hours watching beauty gurus and influencers and implicitly being tempted to buy more unnecessary things. Our need to fill the void of not interacting with people, or the desire to raise our low self-esteem, is natural but this doesn’t mean that it is an excuse for irresponsible shopping .
Below, I’ve made a list of items which are far from being essential, but can in some way bring benefits to our mood or routine.
Skincare products
If you don’t have a proper skincare regime and you feel that your skin deserves more attention, then the Lockdown is the best time for you to do some research and find out what is suitable for you. Whether you should change your cleanser or get a more hydrating moisturiser, there are a bunch of posts on the internet about both expensive and affordable products, key ingredients and so on.
Make a list with all the products you thing might work for you, but try to prioritise those that you need the most and introduce them gradually into your routine. This way you will also be able to see if they do their job and have no adverse effects.
One of my favourite skincare brands is Kiehl’s. Most of their products have good ingredients in but I always try to read reviews before adding any product to my cart.
Replace make-up products
One way that can help you to avoid purchasing too much make-up is to try getting a new product once you finished another one. I know this is hard with an industry that is continuously having new launches, but you’ll feel very satisfied when replacing an old item rather than adding a new one to your collection.
I try to stick to this rule as much as I can. Once I got through an old gloss, for example, I was happy to try out a brand-new range of lip oils that everybody was raving about.
Books
I won’t tell you to get some grammar books and learn a new language or to read some classics that you’ve never intended to. However, there are many books of all genres on the market and it’s a great way to relax and keep yourself busy. If you are not into fantasy or fiction, you might enjoy some self-development books or some historical ones. Besides fiction books, I’ve been very interested in eating healthier for the past months and one of the books that I’ve recently ordered is FoodFix. This is an indispensable guide to healthy, ethical and economically sustainable food, which also talks about the environment, society and global economy.
Amazon is perhaps the cheapest website for buying new books, but if you would like to save some money AbeBooks is a very good website for second-hand bargains.
Home Decor
I’m one of those people who gets inspiration from beautiful Instagram pictures and would stay for hours in the home deco sections at Next or Zara Home. If you want to enhance your mood, but spend money wisely, home deco items are perfect for this. It can be only a new vase or some fancy candles that can bring a smile to your face. One of the things I had been planning to get for s long was a new bookshelf. I found a nice one at Ikea and I don’t regret buying it. I’ve also discovered how much I enjoy assembling things.
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